“It’s difficult. The lads are young, there’s no talkers in the back four right now – not a leader, a proper leader like Rob. No-one says ‘you in here, you come here’ and it’s the same all over the pitch.

“Billy will do it and Feath (Nicky Featherstone) will do it, but no-one else.”

It is not all about the negatives for Hignett, though, especially when it comes to the youth in his team.

“On the flip side of the inexperience we have young lads who will move higher and progress in their careers,” he said.

“Sometimes it is as simple as having a talker in there telling people where to be. Batesy can manage a game and he won’t just play where the ball is, going chasing it.

“He will let others do what they want and react to where the ball is. We did work on it in pre-season in showing people where they are weak and how to do it, but when the game starts players get carried away with the game.

“It’s natural for me to work the game and manage it, that’s what I’ve always done, but I understand where we are at.

“Technically we aren’t a million miles away from Championship football, but it’s the mentality we have to look to alter.

“It’s about concentration between doing a job properly and realising where you are in the same – I call it game management. We lack that without the experienced lads in there.”

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